In their quest to be awarded up to $15 million from New York State’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP), Dutchess County provided a recap of the years long history of acquiring a building to be used as an emergency housing shelter for $2.1 million using American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, and how that retrofitting did not work. Dutchess County is looking to revive the retrofit with this grant, or find another location.

“In 2022, the County identified the 26 Oakley Street property in the City of Poughkeepsie to convert into a permanent emergency housing facility and transform the County’s emergency housing response system by connecting those needing housing and services with providers where they reside.

“Having new evidence-based programs and intensive services located at one facility will facilitate the County’s new model for assisting those experiencing homelessness find permanent housing. The County utilized $2.1 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to purchase property.

“Following construction estimates on schematic design, the multi-million cost of retrofitting the current Oakley Street building for that use, however, was beyond what the County could reasonably direct towards the project.

“To bring the vision at Oakley Street to fruition, the County is pursuing a grant through the State’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) for up to $15 million, which provides capital grants and loans to municipalities and public corporations, not-for-profit corporations, charitable and religious organizations to acquire, construct or rehabilitate housing for persons who are homeless and are unable to secure adequate housing without special assistance.

The State’s HHAP application and review process will take place in the coming months, and Dutchess County expects to receive a decision on its application by the end of 2023. If approved, the County will use the grant to fund the capital costs associated with the Oakley Street project, with an anticipated opening date of the permanent shelter at the site in Spring of 2026.

“County Executive O’Neil said, “It has long been our vision to use the Oakley Street building as the cornerstone of Dutchess County’s transformational approach to dealing with homelessness and its root causes. We’ve been steadfast in our vision and creative in resolving the unforeseen challenges we’ve overcome. This newest grant opportunity not only keeps that goal in sight, but it will help us achieve our mission of making our plan a reality. Dutchess County is eager to continue our progress to address the scourge of homelessness and help lift residents out of it, into a better life.”

“Dutchess County will continue to review other potential permanent locations, should its grant application not be approved. The County will also research and analyze a distributed shelter concept as suggested by the Community Stakeholder Committee and others for its validity, acceptability and affordability.”

Keenly aware of the national housing shortage, as defined locally in the Dutchess County Housing Needs Assessment released 2022, the County, with the support of Assemblymember Didi Barrett, is exploring opportunities to transform the former site of the Hudson Valley Psychiatric Center into a transitional/affordable housing campus in alignment with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announced executive action to review state-owned sites to create and increase the supply of affordable housing and promote broader housing growth. The County Executive has forwarded a letter to the Governor, explaining how the former Hudson Valley Psychiatric Center offers the location, space and opportunity to build such a campus and calls on the State’s support of such a transformative project.

“Housing is one of the most critical needs facing our community and our nation. Dutchess County is working to tackle these challenges across the spectrum, from emergency shelter to transitional and permanent housing. It is an ongoing process and we are demonstrating bold leadership in addressing this difficult problem,” said O’Neil.